


The Task Force

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 16:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12752157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: The detective heading a task force isn't prepared to listen to Blair





	The Task Force

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'link'

The Task Force

by Bluewolf

"What does he know? He's not a cop!" The words were almost an echo to the soft 'bang' that signalled the closing of the door.

Jim Ellison gritted his teeth at Vice Detective Alvarez' words, deliberately refusing to admit, even to himself, how often he had said 'You're not a cop!' How often Simon had said them.

They were, after all, true - Blair was not a cop. But how often had Blair provided the comment that linked two apparently unrelated incidents? He had all a cop's instincts - plus so much more.

And Simon and he had only said the words when Blair seemed determined to risk life and limb to follow Jim into danger. Alvarez' words were aimed only at one of Blair's slightly off-the-cuff remarks - one that Jim had every intention of following up - made just before he excused himself and rushed off to Rainier, which Jim knew Blair would reach barely in time to give his 10 am lecture to Anthropology 201.

Unfortunately, Alvarez was heading the task force, so Jim would probably have to do that little bit of investigation on his own time; Alvarez would never authorise him to do it inside working hours.

Whether Alvarez would have made that comment if Blair had still been in the room, if Blair hadn't had to rush away, Jim was far from sure. The man was very close-minded; he had only accepted Blair's presence because Jim had insisted he wanted his partner there. If the comment had come from one of the cops in the task force, would Alvarez have been prepared to consider it? Jim had a suspicion he wouldn't, if it had been made by anyone who wasn't in Vice. But it was a pity that Blair hadn't made it only to him, and let him put it forward. Though... the comment had come after something someone else had said, so it had probably been something that had just occurred to him. And the meeting was over-running - Blair, knowing he was late, had delayed only long enough to make the comment before rushing off to his official job at Rainier. Jim spared a moment to hope the traffic wasn't too heavy... and that the Volvo behaved.

Yes, Jim decided; he would wait till he got Blair on his own, in the loft, and ask him to expand on his comment anent the several drug-related deaths that had caused the formation of the task force.

He had no intention of being the weak link in the task force; but he suspected that if Alvarez continued to pay no attention to anything Blair said when he was present, because he 'wasn't a cop', Alvarez would prove to be that weak link - there was usually one.

It was lucky, Jim thought, that he was still on very good terms with Vice Captain Stamford. If he did discover something as a result of following up on Blair's comment he would report it... and if, as he suspected, Alvarez refused to listen to him, he could always go direct to Stamford, who would listen.

Alvarez wouldn't love him for it - but Jim had never been a man to let that influence his actions.

With an effort, he brought his mind back to what the man was saying - something that Alvarez probably thought was deep and meaningful, and which Jim considered showed a considerable lack of insight.

Oh, yes. Checking on something in his own time would be well worth it if, by that, the case could be solved faster than Alvarez' direction of the task force was managing!


End file.
